Photography through an orifice is particularly desirable for medical purposes, such purposes including both diagnosis and teaching. While close-up lenses are readily available, so that it becomes possible to produce photographs of suitable scale, illumination of the subject matter constitutes a serious problem.
The problem of illumination of subject matter on the further side of a relatively small orifice for purposes of photography has been attacked by the use of a discharge tube surrounding the lens. However, such a system is relatively expensive and bulky and cannot readily be adapted for use with "instant"-picture cameras.
In view of the fact that equipment for flash photography, both by means of flashbulb and strobe (electronic flash), is widely available, it would be desirable to be able to adapt such equipment to the aforenoted purpose. However, the flash source is invariably positioned some distance away from the lens, even when the electronic flash is built into the camera body itself. Consequently, conventional flash equipment is unsuitable for illuminating subject matter on the far side of an orifice through which a photograph is to be taken. The present invention is designed to overcome this difficulty.